The post-truth election

Fake facts. phoney independents and weaponised lies are the new political reality

Ellie Smith claims she is challenging Peter Dutton for the seat of Dickson, after being "begged" by the local community. She said she was persuaded to run in December by members of an organisation called Dickson Decides who had been searching for an independent candidate for six months.

"I don't see myself as a teal,” she told journalists. “Maroon is our…